“Come on, Kyleigh,” said a pleading male voice. “Please let me see your mate. We’re practically best friends.”
“I’d hardly call you my friend,” Kyleigh responded in a patient tone.
“Your words wound me,” the male said, but he didn’t sound hurt. “I thought we meant something to each other.”
“Listen, Seth,” Kyleigh said slowly. “I’m trying to be extra patient with you because you’re new to all of this, but we aren’t friends. You know as well as I do that the Fae frown on that sort of thing. If you make a friend, the Fae will move you somewhere and make sure you can’t get back.”
As Ian slipped on his clothes, he felt a little bad about listening in on their conversation, but they were talking in the next room and neither was making any effort to be quiet.
“I needed to ask you something,” Seth said.
Ian made his way into the room and was surprised by Seth’s appearance. The kid was young, probably only about fourteen. That explained why his voice cracked occasionally when he talked. His skinny limbs were at that awkward gangly phase when a boy starts to shoot up in height. His brown hair was cut extremely short, and his soft blue eyes sparkled with merriment when he saw Ian.
“You must be Kyleigh’s mate!” Seth said eagerly.
Ian nodded and gave the kid a patient smile. “I am.”
Seth’s eyes widened when he caught sight of Ian’s fangs. “And you’re a vampire! You must be one of those born ones. That is so cool!”
The kid’s eagerness was amusing.
“Stop harassing him, Seth,” Kyleigh said and turned to Ian with an apologetic smile. “Forgive Seth. He’s new to this area, and he’d never seen a vampire before he was assigned here.”
“Is this your first assignment?” Ian asked Seth.
“Yeah,” Seth said. “I’ve only been doing this for a few months.”
Ian cringed at the thought of someone so young being trapped like Kyleigh. It seemed wrong. There really should be an age requirement.
“What did you need to ask me?” Kyleigh asked Seth.
“So, I was out helping a bunch of those confused souls,” Seth said.
“There were a lot of them?” Kyleigh asked in surprise.
“Some people turned a bunch of humans into that new type of vampire, and they all kinda died around the same time,” he explained. “It was totally insane! There were souls all over, not knowing what happened or where to go.”
Kyleigh gave him a sad nod, and Ian’s attention was suddenly completely focused on what Seth was saying.
“Anyway, first I gotta know why they were so confused,” Seth said. “I mean, they didn’t die in any violent way. Seems like their hearts just stopped beating.”
“The problem is that they’re tormented and frightened before they die,” Kyleigh explained. “For most of them, it seems like their minds start to slip while they’re dying, so the soul emerges in a state of confusion. Then the soul is forced to watch the body it once inhabited taking orders from someone else. Can you imagine watching your corpse wandering around when you’re already confused?”
Seth’s eyes widened. “That would be pretty bad since I was mauled by a polar bear.”
Ian hid his smile and shook his head, wondering if Kyleigh had started out this innocent. Nah, she’d probably been too much of a cynic from the beginning to have this kind of wide-eyed innocence.
“So, why don’t they float off like the other souls usually do?” Seth asked after giving the matter some thought. “I’ve seen a bunch leave before the body even dies.”
“There are times when the soul stays until the body dies, and then it passes on. In this case, that doesn’t happen because they’re confused. The undead aspect might be what causes them to still feel a connection with the body. It’s why we need to help them understand that they’re no longer attached to the body so they can move on,” Kyleigh explained.
Seth was chewing on his lower lip as he thought about what she’d said. “If they aren’t moving on, why can’t one of them take my place?”
Kyleigh sighed and put a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “I understand why you’re asking this, and I really do hope you find someone to release you soon, but it can’t be one of those souls. They’re too confused to make the choice to stay behind.”
Seth’s shoulders slumped. “It’s not easy to find someone to take your place, is it?”
“No, it’s not easy,” Kyleigh said sadly. “Remember one thing.”
“What’s that?” Seth asked as he looked up at her.
“You only get one chance. Once you find a soul that consciously refuses to cross, you are free unless you talk them out of it,” she warned.
“That seems pretty confusing,” Ian said. “You told him to help souls cross, but he’s supposed to know when one consciously wants to stay and use his escape clause?”
“He’s right,” Seth said in near panic. “What if I screw up and don’t realize that’s my one chance.”
“You’ll know,” Kyleigh assured him. “It’s like this tether loosens from your neck, a tether you didn’t even feel until that moment.”
Seth nodded. “Do you regret not taking your chance?”
Kyleigh shook her head. “As much as I hate being here, I made the right choice.”
“One last question,” Seth said. “Since your mate is from this area, shouldn’t you be reassigned? In my training, they said mates can go out to help with the souls.”
“I’ve heard that too,” Kyleigh said.
“Shouldn’t they put you somewhere your mate won’t be recognized?” Seth asked.
“I can go out with you?” Ian asked. For some reason, he’d assumed he had to stay in Kyleigh’s realm.
Kyleigh looked at Ian, and he saw the uncertainty in her eyes. “From what I understand, yes, you can go out with me.”
“Kinda sounds like you’re being set up to get in trouble,” Seth said.
Kyleigh nodded. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“What do you mean?” Ian asked.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” Seth explained.
“We aren’t allowed to have any contact with people from our lives,” Kyleigh added. “They actually assign us to places where it would be impossible to contact them. Now, I’m not entirely sure if that rule is the same with our mates, but I’ve heard of others being reassigned after they take a mate.”
“Would they really do something as fucked up as make it impossible for you to avoid screwing up?” Ian asked in disbelief.
Kyleigh let out a humorless laugh. “Yes. The Fae thrive on that kind of thing.”
Seth nodded. “I haven’t known them long, but I agree. I’ve seen them do some pretty messed up stuff.”
“Maybe they’ll reassign me once Ian is fully healed,” she said thoughtfully. “At this point, he can’t leave this realm or he’ll die. I guess I’ll find out soon. Ian should be fully healed within the next couple of weeks.”
Seth flinched. “Damn, I’m being summoned. You really should talk to Oriel about this,” he said to Kyleigh. “From what I can tell, he really likes you, so he’ll give you a straight answer.”
Kyleigh’s smile reflected her amusement. “Ah, Seth, you’re still so new to this. While Oriel may be better than many of the Fae, he still has his own agenda. Don’t let the angel of light thing fool you.”
“You’re probably right,” Seth said before disappearing from Kyleigh’s front room.
“I thought you said you don’t have any friends,” Ian said.
“Seth is new. He’ll be as jaded and distrustful as the rest of us soon,” she said.
“He’s so young,” Ian said. “Isn’t there some sort of minimum age?”
Kyleigh shook her head. “Not really.” For a moment, he thought she was going to say more, but instead, she turned to look out the window.
“Why did you give up your chance to be released?” he asked as he moved up behind her.
“It
doesn’t matter,” she said. “My chance is gone, and I don’t regret what happened.”
“Are there a lot of the new type of vampires being made now?” he asked.
“Yes,” Kyleigh said. “I’m not sure where they’re getting all the humans, but the others like me have been called out four times in the last twenty-four hours because of it.”
“We need to warn my friends,” Ian said.
“No!” Kyleigh said and spun around.
“The bastards making these vampires are doing it to take over this area,” Ian said angrily. “Hell, they want to take over more than this area. Innocent people could be killed if we don’t do something. Children could be killed.”
“You think I don’t get that?” she snapped. “I know better than you how many people those things kill, but I’m not allowed to interfere.”
Ian turned away and took several deep breaths to get his temper under control before he said something he’d probably regret. How could she let this sort of thing happen and not warn his friends? There had to be a way around the stupid rules.
He finally turned to face her. “Please, Kyleigh. No matter what kind of asshole I’ve been, people I care about are in danger. What kind of a person just sits back and does nothing while innocent people are killed?”
It was a low blow, and Kyleigh jerked back like he’d struck her. Hurt flashed in her eyes before she turned her back on him.
“Fine,” Kyleigh said in a hollow voice. “I’ll go warn them.” And just like that, she was gone.
Ian wondered if he’d been unfair. Yes, he was worried about his friends, but was it really her responsibility to warn them? He couldn’t think of any other solution. Since he wasn’t healed enough to leave, he couldn’t very well offer to warn them and risk the consequences. Ian sighed, realizing he owed Kyleigh a big apology when she got back.
Chapter Fifteen
There were no leads on the mystery woman who’d broken into Ian’s home, which meant Danny had been in a foul mood when he’d returned home the previous evening. Frustration had kept him up late, so it was no surprise that he’d overslept. Since Shelby had pulled him from rotation for the day, he didn’t have much to do anyway. Today, he planned to head into the business area, which was about a mile from the settlement. With any luck, he’d find someone who didn’t live in the settlement with information about the mystery redhead.
“Motherfucker!” Danny said when he walked down the steps and saw the redhead in question sitting in his living room.
“Hi, Danny,” she said calmly.
“Did you come to steal some of my clothes?” he asked as he stood at the bottom of the stairs, ready to make a grab for the woman if she tried to run away again.
“No, actually, I’m here because I don’t seem to possess an ounce of self-preservation.” The wry smile she gave him immediately put Danny at ease.
Danny laughed and sat in the chair directly across from her. “I’ve been known to suffer from that problem myself.” She must be from the settlement if she knew where he lived. “Are you ready to tell me your name?”
“I can’t,” she said. “Really, I’m not trying to be difficult, but there are very good reasons why you shouldn’t know who I am.”
“Why did you break into Ian’s house?” he asked and was annoyed when she refused to meet his eyes. “Let me guess, that’s another thing you can’t tell me? What exactly can you tell me?”
“Many humans have been infected with the new version of the Moon virus in the last couple of days. I’m not sure which settlements the humans are from, but your enemies are obviously building a bigger army.”
“How would you know this?” Danny asked. There was definitely something off with this woman.
“I can’t tell you,” she said softly.
“Of course not,” Danny muttered. “You broke into my friend’s house to steal from him. Now, you’ve broken into my house, claiming to have inside information about an enemy of this settlement. Give me one good reason why I should trust you,” he demanded.
She sighed and stood up. “Coming to you was a mistake. From the beginning, I was sure you wouldn’t believe me. Why did I even bother? I risked my own safety, and for what? You’re still going to doubt me, and this won’t make a damn bit of difference.”
When she started to walk toward the kitchen, Danny shouted, “Stop!”
She turned to face him.
“You can’t leave,” Danny said. “We’ve been looking all over for you, and you have a lot to answer for.”
“I’m sorry for doing this to you,” she said, and before he could ask her what she was apologizing for, she spoke. “Don’t move.”
Once again, he was frozen in place, the same as before. Danny watched helplessly as the redhead disappeared into his kitchen. Just like the last time, as soon as the door closed, he could move freely. Danny raced to the kitchen, not at all surprised to find it empty. There was no way to leave through the back door without him hearing because the hinges needed oiling and made a terrible squeaking noise. Then again, she couldn’t have disappeared into thin air.
Danny was so freaked out that he nearly jumped out of his skin when someone knocked on the front door. Running a hand through his messy hair, he made his way to the living room to answer the door. His second surprise of the day was seeing Zane, a lynx shape-shifter, on his front porch. From what Danny could tell, most shifters didn’t have much respect for humans. Actually, they weren’t too crazy about vampires either. Zane was an exception and really enjoyed the company of vampires. Well, he enjoyed sex with vampires.
Zane pushed his way into the house, slamming the door behind him. “I need to hang out here for a little while,” he said by way of greeting.
“Did I miss the memo about this being burst into Danny’s house uninvited day?” Danny asked irritably.
“Who else is here?” Zane asked as he looked around the room.
“No one at the moment,” Danny said.
“Good,” Zane said. “I had a minor misunderstanding with one of the vampires, and I need to stay here for a little while.”
Zane was shorter than Danny, and much narrower through the shoulders and chest. With his tawny hair and amber eyes, he looked pretty harmless. That proved how deceiving looks could be. A shifter, Zane could lift a jeep without exerting himself. Well, Danny suspected it would be awkward trying to balance a jeep, but Zane could probably manage it.
“You’re running from a vampire?” Danny asked. If he weren’t so worked up over his interaction with the strange redhead, he’d be amused.
“No!” Zane said quickly. “It’s just that she took my interest to mean I was looking for some sort of relationship. As you know, my father would not tolerate that sort of thing.”
“So you fucked her, and now she wants more? The bitch,” Danny said sarcastically.
“For your information, I did not have sex with the vampire,” Zane said, sounding offended. “Everyone I sleep with knows I’m only interested in sex up front.”
“Sorry about acting like an ass,” Danny said. “It’s been a rough morning.”
“No problem,” Zane said. “You’re not bad for a human, so I figure you’re entitled to a bad day now and then.”
Danny chuckled. “Thanks, I think. Listen, can I ask you a question about other non-humans?”
Zane shrugged and made himself comfortable on Danny’s sofa. “You can ask, but I may not answer.”
“Fair enough,” Danny said. “Do you know of any creatures that can disappear?”
“Vampires and shifters move fast enough that it can seem like they disappear,” Zane said.
Danny shook his head. “This was more than moving fast.”
“The nymphs look like they disappear when they slip into their parts of the woods,” Zane added.
Danny didn’t miss the fact that Zane was only throwing out creatures Danny already knew about. “This particular creature told me not to move, and I felt like I was tied with invisible
ropes.”
Zane sat straight up on the sofa. “You do not want to mess with anything that has that kind of power. Those would be some very bad things. So tell me, human, why are you messing with the baddies?”
“It sure as hell wasn’t planned,” Danny said. “She showed up at my house today to warn me that the bastards from my old settlement are building a vampire army.”
Zane frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. I mean, her warning you, not the new vampires. Although, I did think that crazy vampire would need more time to regroup before he started building a bigger army.”
“Why doesn’t it make sense that she’d warn me?” Danny asked.
“None of the species with that sort of power do anything to help others. Maybe it was a trick,” Zane mused.
“For what purpose?” Danny asked.
“Beats me,” Zane said. “You never know with them.”
“Who are ‘they’?” Danny asked.
“Best if you don’t know,” Zane said. “I’d really be guessing anyway, since there are a few possibilities, none of them good.”
Danny considered what Zane had said, but things weren’t adding up. “I don’t think she was trying to trick me,” he finally said. If she’d wanted to be dishonest, she would have made up a name. Instead, she’d told him she couldn’t answer that question. Why would she refuse to tell him things if she was trying to deceive him?
“Don’t fall for their lies, human,” Zane said.
“My name is Danny,” he snapped. “You can learn to call me by my name or get the fuck out of my house.”
Zane laughed. “Damn, I really wish you were a shifter. My sister would totally go for you, but my father would never put up with her getting involved with a human.”
“I’m also not looking to be fixed up with anyone,” Danny said. “I need to call Shelby and fill her in on what my visitor said.”
“Mind if I raid your kitchen?” Zane asked cheerfully.
“Fine,” Danny said, “but don’t touch the cookies.”
“Cookies?” Zane asked excitedly before trotting off into the kitchen.
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